


Under the Mistletoe

by megsd89



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Friends, Christmas Fluff, F/F, F/M, R Plus L Does Not Equal J
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:33:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28155411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megsd89/pseuds/megsd89
Summary: Aerys Targaryen and Ned Stark are business associates and as a result, every year Dany’s family drags her to the Stark family Christmas party. That’s okay with her, because that means she gets to see her favorite person, Ned’s nephew Jon Stark.She and Jon have been best friends for as long as she can remember, but for her it has turned into something more. Every year at the Christmas party Dany intends to tell him how she feels, but something always seems to get in the way. Christmas pranks, shenanigans, and family drama keep them apart when all she wants is to meet Jon under the mistletoe.
Relationships: Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen
Comments: 34
Kudos: 99





	Under the Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> What a crazy year right? The craziest thing might be that I'm finally posting my own fanfics! This is my very first one-shot and modern AU!
> 
> I've decided since I finally posted my semester grades, the exams are finished, and I am free, that I'm going celebrate by posting this bunch of fluff!
> 
> Happy Holidays to everybody!! ❤️❤️❤️
> 
> And to all my fellow teachers out there, I salute you!
> 
> Shout out to my amazing beta and BFF abstractlysydney who reads everything I write despite my endless anxiety about it.

Dany peeked cautiously through the sea of people milling about the huge room. She had been coming to this Christmas party every year of her life. Her father, business mogul Aerys Targaryen drug his three children up north to Winterfell every Saturday before Christmas to attend the Stark Christmas party. Aerys and Ned Stark had been business associates since before her brother Rhaegar was born, sixteen years before her own birth. Now, here she was, thirteen years old at her thirteenth Stark Christmas party. Every year she came to the large castle in Winterfell filled with more Christmas decorations that anyone had a right to own and mingled with the children of the most successful businessmen in Westeros.

Usually, this party was the highlight of her year. She LOVED Christmas. She loved everything about it, the lights, the presents, the music, and her family. This year, however, was different. This was the first year without her mom. Rhaella Targaryen had been a light to anyone who had met her and the center of their family. She had been fighting a battle with aggressive breast cancer for several years and had finally succumbed in August. Since then, no one in her family had been the same. Her father was withdrawn and cold, staying at the office for longer hours. Her brother Rhaegar was taking more and more assignments for their family’s company overseas. He hardly ever came home anymore. That left Dany at home alone with her brother Viserys most of the time. He kept to himself, always playing video games. Daenerys had long been forgotten on the sidelines.

If that wasn’t bad enough, she had just hit what her father referred to as an ‘ugly duckling’ phase. He’d said that, to her face. Her hair was limp, her eyes hidden behind coke bottle glasses, and braces bracketed her teeth. She was a sight that made boys stay far away from her, and the pretty girls tease her. That was the reason she was currently hiding behind a very large Christmas tree in the foyer, trying to stay out of sight. They had been greeted by the Stark family when they first entered, and every single one of them were perfect, as per usual.

Ned Stark was a man quite a few years younger than her father, but still commanded respect. He was tall with dark hair and smiling grey eyes. His wife Catelyn Stark had been a beauty queen in her youth, a debutant in blue blooded circles. Her red hair shined bright in the soft Christmas lights, not a grey hair in sight. Their children seemed to have taken on most of their mother’s traits with the exception of their middle child, Arya. Robb, the oldest and heir to the mining and logging company his family ran was the apple of his parents’ eyes and he knew it too. He was spoiled, always got his way, and she thought a little bit of a jerk. Sansa was her age and was a prissy princess. Every time Dany had to hang out with her, all she wanted to talk about was makeup and boys. Arya was the only one that actually looked like her dad, and she was wild. She did everything her brothers did, often with more enthusiasm and with more risk. Bran and Rickon were still too young to have a defining characteristic. Just two young boys as rambunctious as possible.

Dany’s favorite part of the Stark family though was not Ned’s family unit, but his younger sister. Lyanna was just as wild as Arya, but with a refined beauty. Her dark hair and eyes shined in the Christmas lights, but unlike Catelyn, the true light seemed to come from the inside out. She laughed often and was the first one to create a diversion and let the children leave the party early. Her smile was just as bright tonight as it had been in the past, but it was tinged with the same pity as most of her father’s friends. Lyanna Stark was also the mother of Dany’s best friend. Jon Stark was a beautiful boy. He always had been. Just like his mother he was good from the inside out and he was kind. When her family first entered the Stark castle, Jon was the first to wrap her up in a hug. His dark curly hair tickled her nose when he squeezed her tight.

Jon Stark also happened to be the reason she was currently hiding behind the foyer Christmas tree. He was her best friend yes, but also her crush. She realized she was hopelessly in love with Jon Stark at last year’s Christmas party. She and Jon had snuck off with the help of Lyanna and had made snowmen in the back courtyard of the castle. He had taken the time to distract her from her mother’s failing health and helped her build a snowwoman version of her. Dany had spent much of her time beside her mother’s bed whispering to her of her secret dreams to marry Jon Stark. Her mother had listened patiently and told her she had chosen well, confident that he would be a remarkable man when he grew up, and more than worthy of her. Now, she felt ugly and useless and she didn’t want to see him.

“What are you doing over here?” She heard a whisper behind her.

She turned around quickly to see Jon behind her. Her eyes widened slightly as he appeared behind her. “I’m hiding.” She responded. “I’m tired of all of the sad looks people are giving me. It’s exhausting.”

“I’m really sorry about your mom, Dany.” Jon said sadly. “She was a wonderful person.”

She nodded, trying not to let the tears pool in her eyes. “I miss her.” She took a deep breath and tried smiling at him. “Anyway, how are you?”

“I’m good, my mom’s dating some loser again.” He chuckled softly. “You and I both know she’s nearly perfect, except for her taste in men. This guy is a drummer in a rock band. I swear she does it just to give Catelyn a heart attack.”

“Does she bring them to your house?” Dany asked carefully. She knew he might joke, but it had to affect him. Jon’s father was the true love of Lyanna’s life. At least that’s what Rhaella had told her. After he died, she had floundered from man to man, but tried to give Jon a stable home.

He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “No. She’s really good at keeping them away. I’ve only actually met three of them.”

“I’ve started taking computer design courses.” He said to her excitedly. Lyanna was the artist of the family and had done most of the promotional work for the Stark Ltd., and she passed that love of art down to her son. Although his talents were geared toward the technical side.

“That’s awesome!” She said enthusiastically. “Are you learning a lot?”

“Yeah, I mean learning to do stuff on the computer as always just been a lot of playing around, you know? But it’s cool to learn actual programs.” He said, his hands in his pockets.

An awkward silence fell between them which was very unusual in their relationship. He looked back up at the ceiling and then met her eyes again. He smiled lightly. “How much longer on the braces?” He asked.

She ducked her head, embarrassed. If only someone could come up with something a bit more attractive to use to straighten teeth. She always felt like she had something stuck in them, or that it was all people could see when they looked at her. “About another year. I hate them.”

He smiled sympathetically. “A lot of my friends have them. Mom says I got extremely lucky to be born with naturally straight teeth. It’ll pass and then you’ll be back to being the most gorgeous girl in the room.” He said looking her in the eyes. He ducked his head blushing and then looked up again as if afraid to meet her eyes after his declaration.

“What’s going on over here?” Said a leering voice. She turned to face Theon Greyjoy and Robb Stark. Theon’s father was a shipping magnate, and his company was the main transportation for all goods out of the north. Theon was insufferable and had been from a very young age. “Are Jon and Dany having another little rendezvous? Jon, I don’t know how you can even stand it right now, between the glasses and braces little Dany is definitely not what she used to be.”

Robb looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment but joined in with Theon. “Yeah, what happened Dany? Did someone wake up in the wrong house? You definitely don’t look like a Targaryen. Your whole family is gorgeous but you.”

Tears came to her eyes immediately. She would have been fine with the teasing about her glasses and braces, that was common at school and even home, but to tease her about her family which was almost broken beyond recognition, that was too much. She dropped her head, refusing to look at any of them. Refusing to see Jon’s reaction. “I…I have to go.” She stammered out and nearly ran into the crowded great hall. She thought she heard Jon call for her, but she refused to look back.

She spent the rest of the night avoiding the boys. She even suffered through Sansa’s rundown of the latest male popstars and TV starlets. At some point Arya, Bran, and Rickon had played a prank by putting mentos in the open soda bottles on the bar. All three had been escorted out of the party by their mother, Arya being pulled out by her ear. Dany thought it was hilarious, but Sansa just looked affronted by the behavior of her younger siblings.

When the party was starting to die down, she heard chuckling nearby. She turned her head and saw Robb, Jon, and Theon standing against the wall. Jon’s head was ducked down, his eyes not meeting his cousin’s. Theon was looking directly at her, and when their eyes met, he started laughing harder than ever. She cringed and moved behind Rhaegar who was standing between her and the boys. Dany moved quietly away from her oldest brother and moved to sit on the sofa under a window.

“Better be careful sitting there.” She heard a kind, teasing voice.

She looked up to see Lyanna standing in front of her. Her eyes bright with laughter. “What do you mean?” She asked her.

Lyanna gestured up with her finger. Hanging above the very spot she was sitting was a large chunk of mistletoe. Dany’s eyes widened and she panicked. Lyanna must have seen it on her face because she quickly sat down next to Dany. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone take advantage. Unless there’s someone you want to get caught under the mistletoe with.” Lyanna raised her eyebrows and wagged them at her.

Dany couldn’t help but laugh at the funny expression. It was the first real laugh she’d had all night. Lyanna must have been reading her mind because she said, “there’s the girl I know. I knew she was in there somewhere. You’ve been so quiet all night, not like you at all. You love this party.”

“It’s just been a really long year and I really miss my mom.” She said, trying to hold in the tears.

“Oh baby.” Lyanna said softly, and wrapped her arms around Dany, pulling her in close. “I’m so sorry my girl. If I could I’d take all this away from you. I loved your mother so much. I always looked up to her. Did you know she was one of the first people I told that I was pregnant?” Dany shook her head. “Jon’s father and I were never married, you know that, but we were very committed to each other. I was so excited when I got pregnant, and so was he. My one true sadness in life is that he died before he ever got to meet Jon.”

“He would have loved him. Jon’s the best of the best Lyanna.” Dany said surely.

Lyanna smiled hugely at her. “I know. He is, isn’t he? You know, your mom told me something in confidence too, right before she died.”

Dany looked up at her curiously. “What did she tell you?”

“She told me that her beautiful baby girl was in love.” Dany ducked her head and blushed furiously. “And she told me that it would someday be my responsibility to love her like a daughter.” Dany looked back up at her with tear-filled eyes. “Now, I can’t promise that you’ll end up with the boy you love, but I can promise that I will always be here for you as a mother figure. No matter if it’s official or not.”

Dany smiled a watery smile up at Lyanna. “Thank you.” She said softly.

Lyanna nodded thoughtfully. “Now, we can’t let you go without completing the Christmas tradition, can we?” She glanced back up at the mistletoe. Dany looked up too.

Lyanna playfully grabbed Dany’s face and pressed kisses into every available surface. Dany was giggling hard and trying to fend her off. Lyanna finally relented and pulled Dany into a tight hug, pressing several more kisses into her hair.

So Lyanna Stark became the first Stark Dany kissed under the mistletoe.

🎄❄️🎄

Dany stared cautiously up at the large castle. Last year’s Christmas party had been atrocious, and she shivered at the thought of the teasing words and laughter of Robb and Theon. A year had done little to change Dany’s appearance. The braces were still in place, due to come out in another month. Her time with the metal torture device had been mercilessly extended by her orthodontist. The glasses were still present, she couldn’t bring herself to actually touch her eyeball in order to apply contacts. She had tried, and it had been a disaster. She had run screaming to her father’s office thinking she’d be blind forever. He had patiently helped her remove the lens from her eye, one of the few times he had shown affection for her during the year. On top of all that, she started her period in October. Aerys, the father of two older boys had had no idea what to do, and their maid Irri had helped her manage.

Just as she was about to walk forward and follow her father inside, someone slammed hard into her shoulder. Viserys looked down at her with a sneer and pushed past her. “Watch it, four eyes.” He said scathingly.

She just rolled her eyes at him. “How original, Vis. Imagine what would happen if you didn’t have the world’s oldest insults to hurl at me. You might actually have to come up with thoughts of your own.” Viserys had been even worse this year, becoming almost a menace around the house. Father had just about kicked him out of the house at Thanksgiving when he was extremely rude to Rhaegar’s girlfriend, Elia Martell. While he had been able to stay, he’d sported a good shiner for about two weeks afterward thanks to Rhaegar.

She heard a deep sigh next to her and looked up at her eldest brother. He always looked tired. Next to her, he had probably taken their mother’s death the hardest. They had both stayed optimistic during her illness and neither of them chose to accept the inevitable. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him. Did he get dropped on his head; do you think?” Rhaegar asked with a bit of humor in his voice.

She smiled briefly up at him. “Why didn’t Elia come tonight?” She asked him.

He shrugged and rolled his eyes. “The Martells and the Starks have a long history of dislike for one another. She said she wanted to minimize the drama.”

Dany liked Elia. She was beautiful and kind. She had a cherry red sports car and would often pick Dany up from school on her way home from work. Elia was an anchor for the morning news in King’s Landing and was just getting done with her day when Dany was getting out of school. Dany had tried to get out of the daily routine, thinking she was a burden on the gorgeous woman, but she insisted that she loved being a big sister to her. Dany loved it too. Being trapped at home with all boys wasn’t easy at fourteen.

“Stop stalling, we’d better go in before Lord Aerys has to come back and find us. You know appearances are everything here. We have to be the ‘happy family’.” Rhaegar rolled his eyes, grinned, and wrapped his arm around her. “And if those boys try anything, come and find me. I’ll make Viserys’s shiner look like makeup compared to what I’ll do these pea brains.”

“You know, you’d think that at thirty, you’d have more decorum than punching teenagers.” Dany told him with a laugh as they moved to the coat checking station where Aerys and Viserys were waiting for them.

“Some teenagers just need a good punch.” He quipped back, leaning down to meet her eye to eye. “It’s good for their development.”

Winterfell castle was decked out as always, a literal representation of all things Christmas. There were four trees in the foyer alone, not to mention the half dozen in the great hall. Catelyn had obviously chosen a different color scheme this year, favoring the light blues of ice rather than the candy cane monstrosity of the year before. The whole place looked like it was covered in crystals. Dany didn’t like it, but she sure didn’t tell Catelyn Stark that when they were greeted by the prestigious family. She smiled graciously as Ned and Catelyn patted her on the head and sent her little teasing quips. Ned’s were good natured. Cat’s not so much. She smiled tightly at them both and turned to look at their children. Like her, nothing much had changed amongst the Stark children. Except Bran who had sprouted like a bean pole and was taller than Arya now. Just when she was about to greet Robb and Sansa very unwillingly, she heard a shout in the great hall.

“Dany darling!” Lyanna Stark shouted across the room. Catelyn looked horrified and Ned and her father looked very uncomfortable. Dany just smiled wide at her favorite person in the room.

“Lyanna!” She shouted right back, running into the woman’s outstretched arms. Lyanna hugged her tight and walked her further away from the families in the foyer.

“How are things? The last time we video chatted was, when, before Halloween?” Lyanna asked. Dany nodded. They had been chatting rather regularly until that call. Dany had just explained her Halloween costume. She went as a social butterfly, donning wings and antennae and then taping logos of social media platforms all over herself. She thought it was a clever pun. Or at least she did until Jon appeared on the screen, laughing his head off at her idea. That was the last time she’d get caught talking to Lyanna without first making sure Jon was nowhere in the vicinity.

“Things are good. I’ve started to get into photography, my art teacher says it might be my ‘true medium’. Whatever that means.” Dany said with an eyeroll.

Lyanna looked her over for a long moment. “I could see it.” She said with a nod of her head. “You like seeing but not being seen.” Dany managed not to roll her eyes. Barely.

“Is Jon here?” She asked Lyanna.

“Yes, of course. He’s around here somewhere.” Lyanna said looking around. Despite the disaster last Christmas and even the one around Halloween this year, Dany couldn’t help but look forward to seeing Jon Stark.

Dany excused herself from Lyanna and moved around the room. She saw Margaery Tyrell and Myrcella Lannister over in the corner. Margaery was another beautiful girl from their circle and really nice. In fact, at this moment she was reading a story book to the young Lannister girl. Myrcella was the daughter of Cersei Lannister, but she was being raised by her uncle Jaime. When she’d asked her father why, he’d said she was too young to understand and he’d tell her someday. As she was making her third rotation, casually looking for Jon, she heard giggles and whispers near the doors to what she knew was the formal dining room. The caterers usually left food to go out with the waiters on the table inside. She had found that out when she was ten. She and Jon had eaten themselves sick that night.

She peeked cautiously into the room and saw Arya, Bran, and Rickon huddled around something. She approached from behind them. “What are you doing?” She asked really fast. Arya jumped and spun around, her eyes as wide as saucers. She deflated as soon as she saw it was Dany.

“Oh, it’s you. I thought it was an adult.” Arya said sourly. She turned back around and hovered over the device that she and her brothers held.

“Is that an air horn?” Dany asked incredulously. “How did you get an air horn?”

Arya turned back to her and rolled her eyes. “You can get anything on Amazon.”

“You have an Amazon account?” Dany asked her.

“No, but my mom does, and when she orders a ton of stuff at once I can usually sneakily buy something without her noticing.” Arya said drolly, as if she were explaining something to a little kid.

“Arya, what are you going to do with that?” She asked her.

“I’m not going to do anything.” Arya’s smile turned devious. “Bran’s going to do something with it. Right, kiddo?” She turned and looked at her younger brother.

He smiled and nodded at her. Dany sighed and rubbed her temples. “Arya, give me the air horn before you get in trouble.”

“No.” Arya said to her. “You’re not the boss of me, this is our prank and we’re going to top last year’s soda fountain.”

Dany rolled her eyes as she thought back to the prank from last year when the bar basically exploded with soda after the three of them had shoved mentos down the bottles. “Arya, come on. You’re getting too old for this and your mom is going to kill you. Give me the air horn.”

Arya looked mutinous. “No, and if you don’t leave us alone, I’m going to tell everyone the prank was your fault.”

Dany rolled her eyes but left the dining room. There was only one person Arya would listen to. One person that could get her to abandon her plans. Unfortunately, Dany had been looking for him all night with no avail. Finally, she circled back toward the foyer, and there, standing by the Christmas tree they had talked at last year was Jon Stark.

Maybe someday she wouldn’t get weak in the knees when she looked at the dark-haired boy, but right now she felt the familiar fluttering in her stomach at seeing him. He looked up as she approached, his dark eyes lighting up. He straightened his tie and jacket, no doubt part of the manners instilled in him as a Stark. As much as she’d love to just stand there with him for the rest of the night, talking about nothing and everything, she was on a mission. “Jon. You have to come with me.” She said hurriedly.

“What?” He said taken aback. “Why? Where to?”

She huffed. “I need your help with Arya.”

He rolled his eyes. “If she’s determined to get in trouble, then let her. I haven’t seen you tonight at all. Where have you been?”

She didn’t want to confess that she had been looking for him while avoiding the other boys all night. “I’ve been around, you know, socializing. Will you please come with me and help me reign in Arya? Please?” She put her hands together in a praying motion and stuck out her bottom lip.

Jon sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, looking up at the ceiling as if contemplating the problem before him before he finally relented. “Yeah, okay, let’s go. Just promise me we’ll get some time together tonight please.”

He must have been really bored at the party tonight, so she promised quickly. “Of course!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him across the hall toward the dining room.

When they entered Arya huffed and put her hands on her hips. Bran was holding the air horn and Rickon was eyeing the canapes on the table. “Arya. What are you guys up to?” Jon looked at his three younger cousins. “Is that an air horn?” He asked. “How did you get an air horn?”

“Seriously? What, you two don’t know what Amazon is?” Arya asked them both.

“Arya, you can’t use an air horn at your parents’ Christmas party.” Jon said strongly.

“But why not?” Arya looked genuinely curious. “Jon, you love pranks just as much as we do. Remember last April Fool’s Day when you covered yourself in flour and pretended to be a ghost in the crypts? I’ve never seen Sansa run so fast!”

“Classic.” Said Bran, nodding his head.

“Yes Arya, pranks are fun, when it’s just family around. You can’t ruin tonight for your parents. The soda fountain was enough last year, but these are Ned’s biggest partners.” Jon said pleadingly.

She looked ready to cave, and Dany was certain they were just a moment away from her handing over the horn when she looked up and shrugged. “Well, we better hope they have a sense of humor, after all the Queen of Thorns isn’t a favorite in the room.” She turned to Bran and said, “go!”

Bran ran back toward the great hall and Dany on pure instinct followed him back to the party. She saw his target up ahead. Olenna Tyrell was the older matriarch of the Tyrell family and well known for having a sharp wit. Last year, she had scolded the three Stark children after their prank and none of them had forgotten it. Bran intended to blow the horn while she was talking to drown out, as Arya called it, her insufferable nonsense. She was also like eighty and would probably have a heart attack if Bran managed to blow the air horn next to her like he intended.

She caught Bran around the middle just before they reached her, and she started to pry the horn from his fingers. They stood there for a long moment staring at each other, each one waiting for the other to make their move. Dany knew one wrong one and the air horn would sound throughout the castle. Suddenly a voice came from behind Dany. “I know what you two are doing.” Catelyn said. Both Bran and Dany’s eyes widened comically. Dany let go of the horn and Bran hid it behind his back, out of his mother’s line of sight.

“You’re debating if you really have to do it.” Catelyn said in an overly sweet voice. Bran and Dany exchanged a confused look. “Whether or not you have to kiss each other.” Catelyn said pointing up at the bunch of mistletoe above them. The same mistletoe Dany had sat under last year with Lyanna. Catelyn turned around and called attention to the two kids. “Look Dany and Bran are caught under the mistletoe!”

Dany turned to look at Bran who looked just as horrified as she felt. “Come on, you two, it’s a Christmas tradition!” Dany didn’t think she could dislike Catelyn Stark more than she already did. Apparently, she was wrong. She clenched her teeth and looked at Bran, he looked murderously back at her. She extended her cheek to him and he pressed a soft kiss into it. All of the adults clapped while Catelyn directed a photographer to take their picture.

“Bran, what do you have behind your back?” Catelyn asked, walking closer. When she saw the contraption, her face turned to stone and she rotated her body quickly. “Arya!” She shouted into the crowd. Dany could barely see two dark heads bobbing their way through the great hall to the foyer, Jon and Arya fleeing the scene. She tried to distract the woman from her prey.

“Mrs. Stark, would you like a picture of a quick kiss on the lips?” She asked sweetly. Catelyn turned back, looking delighted. “Would you please?” She asked.

Dany turned and looked at Bran, as he looked at her in horror. She leaned forward and quickly pressed her lips to his in a peck.

And that’s how Bran Stark became her second Stark kiss under the mistletoe.

🎄❄️🎄

“I’m glad you all live on Dragonstone or I would be intimidated by all of this.” Elia said, staring at the giant castle before her. She was dressed in a beautiful tan wool coat over her gold dress. Her large engagement ring shined in the twinkling Christmas lights. Dany had been so excited when Rhaegar called her at school to tell her about his engagement. She already loved Elia like a sister and since neither of them had any sisters of their own, Elia had asked her to be her maid of honor. They had spent the better part of her winter holiday helping to plan the grand affair. The two would be married in June in King’s Landing and between Rhaegar being the air to Dracarys Industries and Elia’s career on the news, the wedding would be a hot ticket for anyone in the higher social circles.

Dany thought back sadly on the times she had spent talking to her mother about weddings, planning what she’d like to have in the future when she married Jon Stark. That seemed like an impossibility now. She’d hardly spoken to the Starks at all this year since she went away to boarding school in Volantis. Many people probably thought she was sent away, but the truth was she asked to go. With her mother gone, the family just wasn’t the same anymore. Aerys had started dating, and he wasn’t as subtle as Lyanna was. There was a string of women coming in and out of Dragonstone at all times. Rhaegar had his own life with Elia. They had moved to a penthouse apartment in downtown King’s Landing. Viserys was mean as a snake and fully engrossed in the party scene. She didn’t tell anyone, but she was pretty sure he was doing drugs. And so, when the opportunity came for Dany to study abroad, she took it without hesitation.

She loved her life at school in Volantis. The braces were off, and she was tanner than she’d ever been in her life. She still wore glasses; contacts were just gross. But the frames fit her face much better now. At least that’s what her best friends Missy and Talisa said. The three of them had become inseparable. Missy had almost come with her for the winter holidays, but her parents insisted she come home to Naath. She got to meet so many different people, try new foods, and speak new languages. Her photography was coming a long way. She had several SD cards full of images of Volantis, particularly the long bridge. She thought the recurring patterns were beautiful. At fifteen, she was living her best life.

She smiled as she removed her coat in the foyer. Another sign of her growing confidence was the new dress she was wearing tonight. The red lace dress fit her every curve and stopped just above her knees leaving her legs bare until the high heels she had squeezed her feet into. Elia had helped curl her hair, and her father had allowed her to raid her mother’s jewelry collection. She wore a ring of dragons with a large pearl and a snowflake bracelet. Her “ugly duckling phase” was beginning to be a thing of the past.

The Starks were lined up as always, sans Lyanna and Jon who had long since abandoned the receiving line, leaving it to Ned and his family. Ned and Catelyn were just as stately as ever, although she did notice Catelyn seemed more tense than usual. The kids were all generally the same. Robb had filled out even more, last she heard he was playing rugby for the local club. Apparently, he had suckered Jon into it as well and she wondered if he had thick arms and wide shoulders too. She shivered at the thought. Sansa was growing into quite the beauty, her long red hair flowing down her back. If only she could get rid of the look that made it seem like she could smell shit. Arya was the biggest change. She looked more put together than normal, and she was actually wearing a dress. Just when Dany thought she might have been replaced by a pod person she looked at Dany sneeringly and said, “take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

Dany smiled evilly. “I don’t need to. No doubt your mother has enough pictures of you tonight to fill an album.” She had obviously scored a mark because Arya moved her eyes away and dismissed her.

She walked into the great hall and looked around for familiar faces. She saw Rhaegar and Elia near Stannis and Selyse Baratheon. Elia was showing off her ring and smiling. She debated going over there but it wasn’t worth having to put up with the uber religious couple. She heard the boisterous laugh of Robert Baratheon and the simpering tones of Lysa Arryn’s second husband Petyr Baelish. She nearly joined Sansa, Margaery, and Myrcella but decided not to when they started ogling Gendry, Robert’s son. Instead, she turned from the room, really only looking for one person.

She and Jon hadn’t seen each other much this year. Except for two weeks over the summer. He and Lyanna had come down to spend time at the beach in Dorne when she had been there with Elia. They had built a bonfire and roasted marshmallows, content to just bask in the warmth of the south. She and Jon had gone swimming in the bright ocean and played board games for hours. There were a few times where she thought something might happen between them, but nothing ever did. The closest they got was a long nap together on the couch. She’d never felt so close to a person and her crush had swiftly become more substantial. They had parted, him coming back up north and her to Volantis with nothing but sweet memories of more childhood and not of a passionate love affair.

Dany was half tempted to find him and drag him under the nearest mistletoe. At this rate, she’d kiss his entire family before him. Her frustration mounted when an hour into the party she still couldn’t find him. She was reentering the foyer for the third time when she heard a “psst.” She looked over and saw shiny black shoes poking out from behind the large Christmas tree. The Christmas tree that they had met at for the last two years. She moved around the tree and there was Jon sitting on the floor between the tree and the wall. He had an empty bottle of what appeared to be whisky on his lap. She ducked down and sat next to him. “What are you doing?” She asked. He held up the bottle with a goofy smile. He was clearly trashed.

“Jon, why are you drunk at your family’s Christmas party?” She asked him.

His smile disappeared and, in its place, a morose look took over. “I just want to forget that today ever happened.”

“Why?” She asked him. “We always look forward to this party.”

“I know. It’s one of the few times I get to see you.” He said. “Especially now that you live in Val..Vol..Vel…”

“Volantis, Jon.” She said laughing. “I live in Volantis.”

“That’s the one.” He said snapping his fingers and pointing at her. “Why Volantis Dany?”

“Home’s not what it used to be. It didn’t make much sense to stay somewhere I was alone all the time.” She said. “I know it’s hard for you to understand because you and Lyanna are so close, but…”

He snorted at her, interrupting. “Yes. We’re sooooo close. We’re so close that she chose to tell me today that she’s getting married. Even though they’ve been engaged for two months apparently.”

“WHAT???” Dany screamed at him.

“Shhh,” he shushed her. “Keep your voice down, we don’t need to get caught back here.” Daenerys didn’t think it was possible, Catelyn had overdone the tinsel this year.

“Who’s she marrying?” She asked him.

“Edmure Tully. Catelyn’s brother.” Jon said. “You should have seen her face when mom told her. It was the only good part about the whole thing.”

At least that explained the earlier tension Dany had sensed. “I never would have guessed that she’d end up with Edmure Tully after all her dating. Isn’t he a bit of a dunce?”

“I can’t tell if he plays it up to get more attention or if he really is that thick, honestly.” Jon said. “He’s nice, but just not who I ever imagined becoming my stepfather. Truthfully, I thought she’d wait till I was out of the house. I’m in my last few years at home before university.”

Jon was one year older than her and would be graduating at the top of his class the year after next. “Why doesn’t she wait?”

Jon looked miserable. “That’s the best part. She’s pregnant.”

Dany was shocked to silence for a long moment. They sat there together behind the large Christmas tree for what felt like at least half an hour, Dany absorbing all the information.

“What is really making you angry Jon? The wedding or the pregnancy.” Dany asked softly.

“I’m not mad about the baby. It’ll be cool to be an older brother instead of just a cousin. I guess it’s just the confusion of it all.” He said, his forehead crinkling. “She always said she loved my dad, that she was so heartbroken when he died. They were never married though, despite the fact that she was pregnant and from a very conservative family. Yet here she is pregnant again and this time getting married. Is it just that I was the mistake, and this is her actual family, the one she always wanted to have?”

“Jon, you know that’s not true.” Dany said. “Your mom loves you so much and the life you have together is so special. I think if anything she learned from her time with your dad. She wants to have the protection of marriage this time around.”

“I’m never having children before I get married.” Jon said staunchly. “I want to be married, and I want the mother of my children to know that I will always be there.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that simple.” Dany argued. But Jon didn’t want to hear it, shaking his head.

“What if I’m not enough Dany?” Jon said quietly. “What if that’s why she’s getting married and having another kid? Because I wasn’t enough.”

“Jon Stark, you need to pull yourself out of this pity party right now, because you and I both know that you are more than enough, you’re about as perfect as a person can get.” Dany said angrily, mad that he could think that about himself.

He gave her a watery smile. “I’m going to be okay. It’s just that I only found out a couple of hours ago. She told the whole family all at once. She didn’t even take me aside or anything, like I was just anyone else.” He swallowed hard but then seemed to rally, taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders. “Anyway, I’m going to have a little brother or sister. That’s something to look forward to.”

She smiled at him sadly. “Yes, it is.” They heard laughter from the great hall and Dany cringed as Robert Baratheon’s loud guffaw stood out. “Could be worse. At least she’s not marrying Robert.” They both made a face at each other then. Robert had always been a creep about Lyanna despite the fact that he moved from wife to wife quickly.

He groaned and stood up, stretching out his back and reached a hand down for her. She let him pull her off the floor and they stepped out from behind the tree. He wobbled quite a bit and nearly took down the enormous Douglas Fir as he moved to distance himself from it. She grabbed him around the waist, and they found themselves face to face.

“This wasn’t how I was hoping tonight would go.” Jon said miserably. He tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling. She got distracted by Catelyn Stark who was starting to move towards them.

“Wicked aunt of the west incoming.” She whispered to Jon. He turned his head to see Catelyn approaching, no doubt her eyes were on the empty bottle of whisky Jon was still clutching in his hand. “Let’s get out of here before she makes landfall.”

Jon snorted and allowed her to guide him up the stairs. Thankfully, Catelyn gave up as she realized Dany was leading him away from the party rather than towards it. She held Jon’s waist tightly as they moved together towards one of the guest rooms. When they had been really young, all of the kids had been stowed away up here with nannies during the party, now it was quiet and dark. She found one of the empty guest rooms and led him to the bed. She made sure to remove his shoes, jacket, and tie and left him to sleep it off.

Dany quickly made her way downstairs. The last thing she needed was someone spreading a rumor that she and Jon had snuck off to some abandoned bedroom for the night. She found Lyanna quickly. She was speaking with Robert Baratheon and his new young wife. She tapped Lyanna on the shoulder and she turned. Her face lit up at seeing Dany and there was more than a little relief that she would be rescued from Robert. “Dany darling!”

“Hi Lyanna. Can we talk really quick?” She said demurely.

“Of course, hun. Come here.” Lyanna pulled Dany out of the great hall and down to the kitchen. They both were shocked to see Arya sitting at the counter scooping out ice cream with a spoon. She looked miserable. Dany went to ask her what was wrong, but Arya just rolled her eyes and left the kitchen.

“Arya’s going through a thing. You might think about talking to her later. I’m sure she could use your advice.” Lyanna said.

Dany shrugged. She didn’t want to say what she was about to, but someone had to, for Jon. “Jon’s drunk upstairs. I left him in a room, took off his outer clothes and left him with his phone. I thought you should know.”

Lyanna sighed. “I think I fucked this one up Dany. Excuse the language. I’ve spent so long trying to keep the men in my life away from him. I just didn’t want him to get attached or feel lonely, but I don’t know if that was right.”

“Well, it can’t be any worse than the parade of my father’s women.” Dany said bitterly. Lyanna reached out and patted Dany’s hand. “Jon told me about the baby.”

Lyanna nodded. “Edmure and I have been together for almost a year. He’s an idiot, but a somewhat loveable one. When I got pregnant, which was not the plan, he insisted we get married. His family motto is ‘Family, Duty, and Honor’. I told him it wasn’t necessary, but he argued on behalf of the baby. The truth is, I want it to be easier than it was for Jon and I.”

“Jon’s afraid he’ll be left behind. That he’s not enough.” Dany blurted out.

“Of course he’s enough! He’s my everything!” Lyanna said vehemently. “I didn’t get to tell him before I told everyone else because Catelyn found out and forced my hand. I would have told him one on one, together, like we do everything else.”

“You should tell him that. I mean, he knows it, deep down, but sometimes we just need to hear those things.” Dany said to her.

Lyanna nodded at her. Dany took it as her que to leave and snuck back out of the kitchen. She found herself in the empty family room. Well, she thought it was empty. That was until a quiet sniffle came from the chairs in the corner. Dany looked around the back of the chair and found Arya curled up and crying.

“Who is he Arya?” Dany asked softly. She sat on the arm of the chair.

“Who’s who?” Arya quipped back.

“The boy you wore this dress for?” Dany replied. Arya looked up and met her eyes. They stared at each other for a long moment. “I might understand more than you think I do.”

“Because you’re in love with Jon?” Arya asked.

Dany sputtered. “How do you know that?”

Arya snorted. “Everyone with eyes knows that. Except maybe him. He’s kinda dense when it comes to girls.” She sighed. “It’s Gendry. Baratheon. Robert’s son. We met earlier this year when our dads got together to play golf. Dad always brings me, because I’m the best. Anyway, three hours in and I was smitten. He doesn’t look at me like that though, so I dressed up tonight hoping that he would. He was really nice but didn’t show interest. It’s hopeless.”

“Arya, I know I don’t have much of a track record with boys, but I do know that you don’t want one that doesn’t appreciate you for who you are.” Dany said painfully. She was so hoping tonight would be the start of something with Jon, but instead here she was comforting his cousin.

“Thanks Dany.” Arya said miserably. “Look, I even carried around mistletoe to try and catch him.” She proudly held up the branch of the plant she was carrying around.

“Well, you caught somebody.” Dany said and dropped a couple kisses on Arya’s head. Arya hugged her around the waist and popped a kiss on Dany’s cheek. “Thank you.” Arya said softly.

It wasn’t until later that Dany realized that Arya was her third Stark kiss under the mistletoe.

🎄❄️🎄

Aerys Targaryen took her coat in the foyer of the Stark castle. “Thanks Dad.”

“You’re welcome, princess.” He said in return.

At sixteen years old, Daenerys Targaryen had suddenly become the face of her family. Rhaegar and Elia had married in June and the Targaryen family had been the center of Westerosi society. It was as if a royal wedding had taken place. All eyes had been on the Targaryen scion and his Dornish beauty. But the accidental standout of the ceremony had been the stunning maid of honor, Dany. Her black dress had been tailored to perfectly sculpt her yoga-shaped body. Her silver hair, the half that wasn’t up in braids, had fallen in long waves down her back, and her eyes had been clear and bright. She had finally gotten over her aversion to contacts thanks to the most unlikely person, Sansa Stark. She had shown up the day before the wedding and practically forced the lenses onto her eyeballs. Ever since she had helped Elia straighten the train of her dress in the Sept of Baelor, all eyes in Westeros had been on her.

Her father was nothing if not an opportunist. He knew that he needed to capitalize on the moment while he had it and for the last six months, he had paraded Daenerys around from Oldtown to Meereen, using her popularity to make deals with many large companies. She was exhausted. She had been doing her schoolwork independently, but she missed her friends and the security of her dorm room in Volantis. Her face was starting to show the strain, dark circles threatening to take over half her face. This was the last big event of the year and her father had promised she could go back to school for the rest of the term. The last big event was in fact the Stark Christmas party.

Dany smiled at the Stark family, all lined up as usual. She ruffled the curls on top of Rickon’s head, playfully pinched Bran’s cheek, softly pulled on a lock of Arya’s hair, hugged Sansa hard, and shook hands with Robb. She came to Ned and Catelyn, the later of whom was much more cordial to her than usual and gave the expected greetings. Then she moved to the couple on the end of the line. Lyanna Stark-Tully smiled wide at her and pulled her in for a tight hug and kisses in her hair. When they pulled back, Dany nodded respectfully at Edmure. “Where is he?” She asked. She and Jon had spent most of Rhaegar’s wedding festivities together that summer. She introduced him to all her friends, who all knew he was off limits, and she showed him around King’s Landing. Once again, the tension from the summer before in Dorne had been present, but nothing managed to come of it when he returned back up north for his final year of school.

Lyanna nodded towards the great hall and Dany went looking for her best friend/love of her life but didn’t know it yet. She finally spotted him in one of the seating areas near the food. Just when she thought she couldn’t be more attracted to Jon Stark, he sat in a chair cradling his baby sister, Sarra Stark-Tully. There was just something about men and babies. It was biologically hardwired in every female. She had yet to meet the little one, so she headed right over. He looked up at her approach and smiled warmly.

“There’s the girl of the year.” He said jokingly. “Done with the world tour yet?”

She groaned. “Don’t even joke about that. My body’s not even sure what time zone it’s in.” She sunk into the chair next to him and leaned over to see the baby. Dark curls framed her face and her big blue eyes gazed up at her brother. “Thank the gods she looks like you and your mother.” She joked. “She’s beautiful Jon.” She said soberly. “How are things?”

He turned to look at her. “You know, surprisingly good. I know my meltdown last year may have been concerning, but honestly the worst-case scenario hasn’t come to pass. Edmure’s more chill than I expected. Not with Sarra of course, but he leaves me alone. Mom got really emotional all through her pregnancy and it still hasn’t toned down. Every time she sees me, the water works start. Just yesterday she was wailing about how this was my last Christmas at home. Like, where does she think I’m going to go over the holidays from now on?”

Dany chuckled at him. “Maybe she thinks you won’t get leave from the Wall next year.” She said, raising her eyebrows at him.

He ducked his head bashfully. “Heard about that, did you? It’s family tradition to serve a year at the Wall.”

“Then why isn’t Robb going?” She questioned.

He gave her a deadpan look. “Have you met my cousin? He was so excited when I said I’d go because he thought it got him off his service. Ned’s still trying to convince him to come with me, but I doubt he will.”

“Jon you’re the one who’s top of the class. You should be going straight to school.” Dany argued.

He just shrugged. “I want to do this, Dany. No one’s forcing me, I want to be of service for a little bit before I live the rest of my life for myself.”

“Well, you’re definitely more selfless than me, no surprise there.” Dany said chuckling. She turned again to lean over the baby. “Can I hold her?”

He glanced over at her. “She just ate so she may spit up. Don’t want to ruin your pretty dress.”

She glanced down at the crimson velvet dress she wore and shrugged. “Everyone’s already seen me. Besides I can’t be perfect all the time. Give me the baby Jon Stark.” Jon cautiously moved his baby sister and set her in Dany’s arms. She cooed at the little girl immediately and the baby smiled up at her. She was gorgeous and Dany could see why Jon was so enamored. Jon leaned over them both and they spent a few minutes playing with the little girl.

“She looks like she could be your guys’.” A male voice said from in front of them. They both looked up to see Edmure Tully standing before them. Neither one of them laughed even though that was obviously the man’s intention. After a moment of awkward silence he asked, “mind if I steal her? People are asking for her.”

That kicked both Dany and Jon out of their stupor. Jon leaned away from her and Dany stood up, handing the baby over to her father. All of the sudden, Theon Greyjoy appeared. He looked at Dany and moved his eyes over every inch of her body. She felt violated. She could see Jon tense out of the corner of her eye. “C’mon. Robb grabbed some vodka and Sansa and Margaery snagged a tray of canapes, we’re going to hang out in the drawing room for a while.” Theon said.

Jon looked at her and she was reluctant to agree, wanting some time with just Jon, but then she looked up and saw her father searching the room. She knew instinctively that he was looking for her. She grabbed Jon’s hand and said “let’s go!”

The six teenagers sat near the fireplace, the table in front of them covered in shot glasses, two bottles of vodka and a giant tray of canapes. Robb and Theon were laid out on the couches. Robb’s feet were in Sansa’s lap as she sat on the end of the couch. Margaery sat in the armchair close to Theon’s sofa, her long legs on display in her short dress. Jon was sitting on the floor, his back against Dany’s legs as she sat in the other armchair. They were already several shots in, and tongues were beginning to loosen. Not that that changed anything for Theon.

“Where’s the coolest place you’ve been this year Dany?” Margaery asked her. “You’ve traveled way more than any of us.”

“Hey. I’ve traveled a ton.” Theon said from his couch. “The Greyjoys are sailors and we go everywhere!”

“Yes, but I think she has you beat.” Sansa said laughing.

Dany stopped and thought for a long moment. “Probably Braavos. It’s such a cool city. The land is basically a bunch of islands connected by bridges and each island seems to have a theme. The central island is where the government and the Iron Bank are located, and then there’s an island for museums, and an island that houses most of the old city. It’s really cool. I have so many photos from the city that I’m getting them printed in a book.”

“Where are you guys going next?” Robb asked.

“I don’t know where my dad is going, but I’m going back to school in Volantis.” Dany said. “I’m done with all of it.”

“Oh.” Robb said, surprised. “That’s not the impression I got from him when he was talking about his future ventures. Maybe he was talking about taking one of your brothers.”

Dany felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had an agreement with her dad. She had done her job, and now she wanted stability. She also wouldn’t be surprised if he went back on his word. Aerys could get single minded when it came to business. She felt Jon turn around at her feet and she looked down and met his eyes. He was thinking the same thing. She took a deep breath and shook her head. There was nothing to do about it now.

“Why do you want to go back to Volantis so bad anyway?” Theon asked. “You got a guy there?”

“No Theon. I do not have a guy there, but I do have friends.” Dany said. “And school. Two things some of us actually care about.”

“So, you don’t have a guy, do you have a girl?” Theon question wagging his eyebrows.

“No, but even if I did, what's it to you?” She fired back. Dany had a lot of closeted friends mainly because of this type of attitude right there. She didn’t care who her friends loved so long as everything was consensual, and they were happy. Besides, she was madly in love with the boy at her feet, so she was confident in her feelings.

“You mean, you’re gay?” Theon asked incredulously.

Dany felt Jon tense against her. The last thing she wanted was to make him think that she wasn’t into him and never would be, but her friends deserved a champion. “If I am, it’s none of your godsdamn business.” She nearly shouted back at him. She was furious, but she tried to keep a tight leash on her anger so she didn’t let out anything she shouldn’t. Someone in this room was gay, and wanted to keep it a secret, and Dany had promised no one would hear it from her.

She had noticed Sansa’s fascination with Missandei at Rhaegar’s wedding. It was more than just a northern girl seeing someone from the Summer Isles for the first time. She could see the glint of interest in the redhead’s eyes. Luckily for her, Missandei was well known amongst their friends for being very open. She had adventures with both sexes regularly. Dany teased Sansa about it the night of the rehearsal dinner and to her horror, Sansa had burst into tears. She explained that she was definitely, one hundred percent a lesbian, but she couldn’t figure out how to tell her parents. Dany had felt terrible about teasing her and explained that she had every intention of setting her and Missandei up if it was really the case. Sansa believed her but swore Dany to secrecy. Now she could see the tension in the redhead as the conversation turned toward her deep secret.

“If you were openly gay, your father would never take you on business trips with him. You’d be too much of a liability. There’s no way you swing toward girls.” Theon said. “Plus, you want to be careful who you talk to about it. In our circles, families lock up the gays in mental institutions.”

Margaery gasped. “That’s not true! What a horrible thing to say.” Robb and Jon were looking at Theon like he was nuts, even by Theon’s standards.

“It is absolutely true.” Theon fired back primly. “Why do you think they locked Cersei Lannister away?”

“Cersei Lannister isn’t in a mental institution because she’s a lesbian.” Came a cool voice from the corner. All six teenagers jumped, and Sansa yelped. They all turned to look at the source of the voice. Dany knew who it was, she just wondered how he had gotten in there without them noticing.

“Viserys, how did you get in here?” She asked him, annoyed.

“Sweet sister, I spend every Stark Christmas party here. It has been my refuge for nearly ten years now.” Viserys said calmly, still sitting in his chair facing the window, away from them.

“Vis stop the Edgar Allan Poe bullshit and come over here where we can see you.” Dany said harshly. They all watched as Viserys unfolded himself from the high back chair that faced the window. His tall willowy frame lacked the strength of his elder brother, but he had the same ethereal beauty of the Targaryen family. He approached the group while twirling a joint between his fingers. When he reached Theon, he simply raised his eyebrows. The younger boy immediately sat up and squished himself into the corner of the couch closest to Margaery. Viserys took the other side of the sofa close to the fire.

He crossed his legs and then looked up at all the teenagers. Every one of them was staring at him with a mixture of contempt and fear. Except Dany who was just bored with the theatrics. “Okay Viserys, we’ll bite. Why is Cersei Lannister in a mental institution?” Dany asked her brother.

Viserys shrugged. “She’s a paranoid schizophrenic. She had a break several years ago and pushed her husband down the stairs, killing him. Then she tried to drown her children in the bathtub. Jaime found them in the master bathroom and subdued her.”

“Geez. It almost makes me feel sorry for Joffrey.” Robb said quietly.

“Don’t.” Margaery said, shivering. “He tortures small animals, he killed Myrcella’s pet hamster. He’s a monster.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Viserys said. All of the teenagers looked at him again and stared for a long moment.

“Why?” Jon prompted him.

“The Lannisters are the perfect example of why you shouldn’t breed with close family members.” Viserys said. “I mean, Targaryens used to do it too, which is why for at least the last century, our family has been marrying different people, trying to get new blood in. Our mother looked like a Targaryen, but she was from Lys. Tywin and his wife Joanna were first cousins after a long line of incestuous relationships. It makes sense that they would have a mentally ill daughter, a dwarf son, and a psychotic grandson. Jaime’s the only normal one in the bunch and he refuses to have children. Says he doesn’t want to pass down the genes.”

“How do you know all this?” Jon asked. “It’s some pretty personal shit.”

“I like secrets.” Viserys said. “They keep better and longer than money as currency.”

With that, the teenagers had had quite enough of Viserys Targaryen. They all exchanged wide eyed looks and excused themselves from the room, leaving the creepy young man alone. Robb, Margaery, Theon, and Sansa headed back into the great hall. Jon and Dany found themselves standing by their usual tree in the foyer.

“Your brother is creepy af.” Jon said to her.

“Yes, he is.” She agreed. “Rhaegar says it’s the drugs but I still maintain that he was dropped on his head at some point.” They both chuckled.

A pleasant silence fell between them.

“So, finally alone. No baby, no friends, just you and me.” Jon said quietly. “You look beautiful tonight Dany.”

She blushed and looked at the floor. This was about as far as they ever got. Dany was pretty sure he liked her, but he never made the final move. Sometimes she wondered if she made the whole thing up. She was so crazy about him, but maybe she would always be just his best friend to him. She couldn’t look up, she didn’t want to know if he was going to friendzone her, and if she looked at him, she’d know. She heard him sigh and saw him lean his head back to face the ceiling.

“Dany, I…” Just as he was about to say something, a commotion erupted in the great hall. From their vantage point, Dany could see Sansa and standing much too close to her was Joffrey. She turned quickly to look at Jon.

“I really, really want to have a conversation with you tonight Jon, but we cannot miss whatever is happening.” She grinned at him. He smiled back and nodded, and the pair headed into the room.

When they reached the sight of the confrontation, it became clear immediately what was happening. “I don’t want to go on a date with Joffrey, mother.” Sansa said her hair and hands were flying everywhere.

“Sansa, he asked you properly and politely. He kissed you sweetly under the mistletoe.” Dany looked up and saw yet again that damned mistletoe. “You can’t just refuse.” Catelyn said to her irate daughter.

Dany could feel her face transform into a scowl, looking around she saw a similar look on Lyanna’s face. Just because a boy asked, did not mean a girl was required to accept. And since when was it okay to just go around kissing girls, even if they were standing under the mistletoe without their consent? What century was Catelyn Stark living in? No wonder Sansa was afraid to come out to her parents.

“Mother, I will not go on a date with him. Not only because he’s a cruel young man by all accounts, but also because…” Sansa took a deep breath and straightened her spine. “Because I’m gay.”

You could have heard a pin drop in the room. Every single major family in Westeros and beyond were in this room and Catelyn Stark’s pride and joy had just come out of the closet. Everyone stood as if shell shocked. She saw Robb and Theon exchange glances and then shake their heads. Neither had any idea of their Sansa’s sexual orientation. Arya, standing next to Gendry Baratheon just nodded, an impressed look crossing her face. But all eyes were on one woman’s reaction. Catelyn Stark looked like she was about to explode, the veins in her temples stood out and her face turned an alarming shade of red.

Behind Sansa, Joffrey started to laugh. “You’re just saying that to get out of going on a date with me. It won’t work.” He said pompously.

“I’m not lying.” Sansa said staunchly. She looked around and spotted Dany close by and grabbed her hand. Dany caught the pleading look in Sansa’s eye and she nodded reluctantly.

Sansa pulled Dany in and planted a kiss right on Dany’s lips. It wasn’t unpleasant. Sansa’s lips were soft, and she was gently moving her fingers into Dany’s hair. Sansa ran her tongue along the seam of Dany’s lips, seeking entry and Dany opened. They moved their tongues against each other. After a long few minutes, they broke apart. “Thank you.” Sansa whispered quietly.

Dany nodded and turned to find Jon. He was gone. Her heart broke. This wasn’t how she wanted the night to go. As nice as the kiss with Sansa had been, she wasn’t the Stark she wanted to kiss tonight. Her frustration mounted as she saw her father in the crowd steaming from the public display.

She would have regretted the kiss if it wasn’t for the grateful look in Sansa’s eyes. It made Dany proud that her fourth Stark kiss was with Sansa under the mistletoe.

🎄❄️🎄

Dany was miserable. She didn’t think she could have a worse Stark Christmas party than the disastrous one when she was thirteen, but as she watched Jon Stark move around the room with a redhead on his arm, she knew it had been topped. She huffed and collapsed back into the sofa she was currently occupying with her best friend Missandei. After last year’s eventful ending to the party, she and Jon hadn’t really spoken, and once he graduated and took off for his year-long service in the Night’s Watch, he’d basically fallen off the face of the earth. She didn’t quite know what the deal was, but it was obvious it had started with her kiss with Sansa.

While that kiss may have driven a wedge between her and her best friend/love of her life (but he STILL didn’t know it yet), it had resulted in a lot of benefits. For one, Sansa was now out and proud. She had come down to visit Dany at school and she and Missandei had had a fling. It was over now, and they were both super nice to one another, but it had run its course. Catelyn Stark had had to change her stance when Sansa received a lot of support from the public. Then there was the fact that Aerys did not want his daughter who went around kissing girls to accompany him on business trips anymore, so she got her wish and returned to school in Volantis. Dany thought it might tone down the excitement around her, but if anything, the kiss had fueled the flames of her popularity. People far and wide were constantly speculating on her sexuality. If only they knew that there was only one person on the planet she wanted to kiss, and there had only ever been that one person.

Dany glared at the redhead on Jon’s arm, and Missy snorted at her side. “You’re going to burn a hole in her forehead Dany girl.”

“Ugh.” Dany groaned at Missy. “Missy, I’m rich, gorgeous, and talented. She’s uncouth, only slightly pretty, and has buck teeth. And yet, I’m more jealous of her than anyone I’ve ever met in my life.”

“Well, maybe if you hadn’t kissed his cousin last year, it would be you on his arm instead of her.” Missy said matter of factly.

Dany couldn’t deny that she’d had similar thoughts throughout the last year, but as she looked at Sansa who was smiling and content, she couldn’t bring herself to regret it. She sighed. “Even if the kiss hadn’t happened, I doubt we’d be here. He’s had years Missy.” She turned to look at her best friend miserably. “I guess all it will ever be is unrequited love.”

Missy just smirked and raised her eyebrows at her. “Nothing about your relationship with Jon is unrequited Dany. You’re both crazy about each other.” She shrugged. “The timing has just been off. That’s all. It will fall into place eventually.”

“So what?” Dany asked, pouting. “I just have to sit here and watch this until it ‘falls into place’? How fair is that?”

Missy just shook her head and lifted her drink to her lips. Dany hadn’t even met Jon’s girlfriend yet, but she knew everything about her. Between the intel gathered by the families and online stalking, Dany had uncovered a great deal about Ygritte Wilde. She was a year older than Jon, so nineteen to Dany’s seventeen, and they had met up north in Molestown. Ygritte was training to be a park ranger for the area north of the Wall. Apparently, her whole family worked north of the Wall. While the redhead looked decent in her photos online, the filters had obviously been generous. Ygritte’s skin was white, with no hint of cream and looked like it needed a good dose of moisturizer. Her hair was stringy and had no volume, the only redeeming quality being a beautiful shade of red. But perhaps her most unflattering feature was her two front teeth which were overly large and very noticeable. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Dany acknowledged that she was being overly harsh on the young woman, but she couldn’t seem to stop.

Just when she was about to get up and disappear into the drawing room where most likely Viserys was sitting creepily in the dark, Robb and Theon popped out of nowhere. “Hiya Dany.” Robb crooned at her. “You’re looking pretty tonight.”

“Fuck off Robb.” She said quickly. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Oooh, testy.” Theon added. “Is this about Jon’s girl?”

“No.” Dany said unconvincingly. “Why would it be about that?”

All three of her companions just looked at her with a droll stare. Did everyone know that Dany was in love with Jon? Maybe Arya had been right a few years ago and anyone with eyes could see it.

“You’re Dany’s friend, right?” Robb asked Missy. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Robb.” Robb held out his hand to Missy while looking deep into her eyes. Or at least he was trying to.

“I’m not interested.” Missy replied, shaking his hand.

Theon guffawed next to Robb on the couch. Robb took the rejection well. He smacked Theon on the shoulder and stood, excusing himself to the bar. Now that he was eighteen, he could actually order legally.

Dany looked at Missandei. “I’m going to head to the bathroom. Are you good here, or do you want to come?”

Missy shook her head. “I think I’ll go catch up with Sans. She’s looking gorgeous tonight, navy’s a good color on her.”

Dany laughed. “Good luck with that.” She knew that Missy wasn’t looking to settle down and was most likely seeking out Sansa because by all reports the two had a lot of fun together.

She headed for the bathroom and did her business and then stopped at the sink to wash her hands. She looked up at her reflection. Her silver hair cascaded down her back in soft waves, her purple eyes shown in the dimly lit room, and her green dress hugged her in all the right places. She looked perfect, but she couldn’t help the tears that welled up. Every year she came to this party hoping that Jon would finally see her. She picked out her dress for him, she did her hair and makeup for him, and once again here she was alone. Maybe it was time to move and let things run their course.

She exited the bathroom, almost running into the next occupant. She found herself face to face with Ygritte Wilde. They stared at each other for a long moment. “You’re Daenerys Targaryen.” Ygritte said with a slight smirk on her face.

“Yes.” Dany inwardly cringed at Ygritte’s harsh pronunciation of her name. “Ygritte, right? Jon’s girlfriend?” She held out her hand to the woman.

Ygritte shook her hand and nodded. “Yeah, brought me down to this ridiculous party. You know the trees in this castle should be left to grow out in the forest. It’s very irresponsible to cut them down.”

“That will be a hard argument to win with this family.” Dany said with a chuckle. Ygritte just looked at her blankly. “Because they own and operate a logging company.” Dany explained. Ygritte looked shocked. “The Stark family is the largest distributor of lumber and ore in Westeros. You didn’t know that?”

“Well, I knew that the Stark company did, but I guess I just figured the family wouldn’t be directly involved.” Ygritte said defensively.

“Oh, well, yeah. I mean it is their family business.” Dany shrugged and smiled tightly. “Anyway, it was nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you too.” Ygritte said awkwardly.

Dany let out a big breath as she walked back toward the party. Her heart stopped as she saw Jon standing next to the large tree in the foyer. What was their usual meeting spot had now become his waiting post for Ygritte. She couldn’t help but take a moment to appreciate the view before her. Jon had filled out over the years. Between the rugby and now the Night’s Watch, it was obvious his lean form held a lot of muscle. He’d let his hair grow out this year and it was pulled half up in a bun, his facial hair matching the wilder look. His suit was tailored to perfection as per usual. She cleared her throat as she approached him, and he looked up startled.

She smiled at him softly. “Can you believe she went with mauve this year? Just when I thought her themes couldn’t get any more awful.” Dany joked about his aunt’s taste in Christmas decorations.

“Yeah, I didn’t think it could get worse than last year’s poinsettia explosion.” He smiled back.

“I just ran into Ygritte…” “How are you?” Dany and Jon spoke at the same time. Things weren’t usually this awkward for them.

“I’m good.” Dany answered graciously. “Just back at school in Volantis. Final year before university.”

“Where do you think you’ll go?” Jon asked, curious.

“Probably KLU. I want to be close to home now that Rhaegar and Elia are having kids.” Dany answered.

“Yeah, I heard about that. Is that why they’re not here?” Jon asked.

She nodded at him. “The pregnancy has been kinda hard on Elia, they thought it best if she didn’t travel. How are things up at the Wall?”

“Good.” Jon nodded. “I’ve been thinking about extending my service beyond the required year.”

Everything inside Dany stood still, frozen. Jon was going to extend his time in the Night’s Watch? A year was bad enough, but now he was going to stay? Jon was speaking but in her panic she didn’t hear anything until the end.

“…girlfriend?” Jon asked.

Dany shook her head. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I was asking if the girl you brought is your girlfriend.” Jon said, shuffling his feet against the hardwood floor.

“Missy? No, she’s just my best friend.” Dany looked at Jon for a long moment. “Jon, you know I’m not gay right? Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but I’m just not attracted to women like that. I don’t really swing that way at all. Last year, I knew about Sansa before she came out, and she needed the back up. So, I took one for the team so to say.”

It seemed like all the tension left Jon’s body at that. “Oh, okay.”

She smiled at him. “Jon Stark. Did you go this entire year thinking I was a lesbian?”

He blushed. “Maybe…”

“You could have just asked your cousins. Sansa explained it to all of them.” Dany said smiling.

“I haven’t really talked to Sansa lately.” Jon said. They both turned as they heard heels clacking on the floor. Jon suddenly tensed back up and she looked at his face. He had a look of sheer panic and kept glancing up at the ceiling as Ygritte approached.

Dany took pity on him. “I’ll leave you guys be. Have a great night.” She said smiling brightly. She turned and walked off quickly, not looking back. She made a beeline straight for Missy who was chatting with Lyanna of all people.

“Dany darling!” Lyanna exclaimed in her usual greeting. “You look lovely tonight.”

“Thanks, Lyanna.” She said, smiling at her. Sarra was on Lyanna’s hip looking around curiously. “You’re not putting her in a nursery with a nanny?”

Lyanna shook her head. “No. I always hated that we did that to you guys when you were young. So did your mom. We only left you there because you were all together, since Sarra’s the only one, I didn’t want her to be alone.”

Dany nodded and moved to smile at the infant. “She’s gotten so big! Can I hold her?”

“Honestly, I’d let you, but she’s been so fussy tonight.” Lyanna said, rolling her eyes. “Jon is her favorite person, so she was so mad when he abandoned her for Ygritte tonight.” She’s not the only one, Dany thought. “It was seriously the tantrum to end all tantrums.” Lyanna continued. “Ygritte looked terrified.”

Dany looked down at the mention of Jon’s girlfriend. Lyanna leaned in close. “I wouldn’t worry too much, my girl. She is a hardcore tree hugger and once she finds out that Jon is a part of  _ the _ Stark family, the one who cuts down all the trees and digs for ore in the forest, they won’t be going much longer.”

Dany winced as she heard a shout in the direction of the foyer. “She might have already found out.”

Missandei looked horrified. “What did you do?”

“It wasn’t on purpose.” Dany said defensively. “How was I supposed to know that she can’t put two and two together?”

Lyanna giggled as Jon and Ygritte’s argument escalated in volume. “I better go push them outside.” She said.

“Come on, let’s go get a drink and hide from the drama.” Missy said, dragging her toward the tables by the bar.

“They won’t serve us because we’re underage.” Dany said miserably.

Missy rolled her eyes. “That’s what boys are for.” She said, waving Robb and Theon over.

An hour later all four teenagers were completely drunk. Missy got giggly when she was drunk and obviously Theon fell into the same category because the two of them were laughing uproariously at nothing in particular. Dany got cuddly, which is why she was currently leaning on Robb’s shoulder. Apparently, Robb got handsy because she suddenly felt his hand on her thigh. She smacked it away and shoved him. She wasn’t that drunk.

“Woah, quite the party happening over here.” She looked up at Jon’s voice. He was standing there smiling at the group with his stupidly attractive smile, but he wasn’t alone. Ygritte was back on his arm although she looked like she had swallowed a lemon. Dany felt frustration sink into her pores over the whole situation. She was done pining away for Jon Stark.

“I’m going to go lay down on the sofa over there.” She said pointing to the one under the window. She stood up on her wobbly heels.

“I’ll help you.” Robb said quickly. She knew it was just an excuse for him to grab her around the waist, but she needed him for balance. They made their way toward the seat when out of nowhere Joffrey Lannister appeared.

“Look who’s caught under the mistletoe this year.” He sneered. She saw Tywin grab the twerp’s arm and haul him away from them as Jaime just shook his head.

Robb looked up curiously. “Hey, look at that.” There was a sprig of mistletoe above them. The same fucking mistletoe that had forced her to kiss Lyanna, Bran, and Sansa. Robb looked down at her.

She knew he was going to go for it before he did and she could have said no, but she was too drunk and too heartbroken to care. Robb’s face moved closer to hers and finally their lips touched. In the back of her mind, Dany knew this was a really bad idea, so she didn’t participate much. The kiss had all the chemistry of two fish. Neither one of them felt anything, she could tell. But even though it was nothing at all, the damage was done. She could feel eyes on them and looked up to see Jon’s face set in a furious scowl.

Her fifth kiss with a Stark was her most regrettable and it was with Robb under the mistletoe.

🎄❄️🎄

This year was the first year Dany had ever arrived at the Stark Christmas party without her family. They were presumably waiting inside for her, but it was Jon who would walk her inside. The two of them had taken the last flight north earlier that day to make it. Both of them had the last final on the schedule the day before at KLU and couldn’t leave any earlier. Due to the inclement weather in the north, their flight was delayed and now they were both frantically changing into their party clothes. She made him turn around as she pulled her bra off from underneath her dress, the black sheath had built in cups. Finally, they were pulling up the long drive to the castle and Dany checked her cherry red lipstick one more time.

As the cab pulled up to the door, Jon handed over the money while she tried to exit the car as gracefully as possible. Jon caught up to her as she opened the large front door. They both deposited their coats in the coat check corner of the foyer and turned to look at the familiar sight. Dany was stunned to silence. After years of ghastly themes ranging from candyland to tinsel explosion the decorations in the castle now were subdued and gorgeous. Every tree and garland were tastefully covered in red and gold and warm firelight made the rooms glow. This year you could actually see the needles on the pine trees and see the shape of branches below. Dany turned to Jon. “Did you aunt get a personality transplant?” She asked quietly.

He chuckled. “No. Since she started building her charity, she claims she doesn’t have the time to decorate for the Christmas party anymore. I believe you’re looking at the combined efforts of my mom and Sansa.”

They were too late for the receiving line, so they made their way quickly into the great hall. Dany turned when she heard happy babbling coming towards them. Sarra Stark-Tully was as gorgeous as she was on Jon’s weekly Facetime, which usually happened in her dorm room. Dark hair fell in curls around her face and her large blue eyes lit up, staring at her favorite person. She quickly moved over on chubby little legs until she was standing right in front of Jon, holding up her arms. He graciously picked up his baby sister and cuddled her close. It was a sight that still never failed to melt her.

“Dany darling!” Lyanna called, following her daughter over. “How lovely to see you! We were beginning to worry that you two would never make it. Did you stop to do some canoodling along the way?” Lyanna wiggled her eyebrows.

“Mom.” Jon protested with a harsh look.

Dany blushed and moved away from him quickly. “I’m going to go find my dad.”

After last Christmas’s drunken fiasco with Robb, Dany had sworn to try and get over Jon. He had Ygritte and he was thousands of miles away from her. So, she’d gone on dates. A lot of them actually. She’d even tried to get serious with Renly, Robert Baratheon’s little brother before she realized she was just his beard. She had met some wonderful men, but try as hard as she might, no one came close to making her feel what Jon Stark made her feel. She hadn’t talked to Jon after the last Christmas party until September. When Jon had decided to go to KLU instead of extending his time with the Night’s Watch, she’d initially been wary, but they had settled into a good routine that included each other more than she expected.

It all started with Intro to Photojournalism. Dany was majoring in marketing, but with a minor in photography it was the compromise she made with her father. That put her in a class with aspiring graphic designer Jon Stark. She hadn’t even known he was in the class until he chased her down afterward. They ended up going for coffee and catching up. Turns out Lyanna had been right about him and Ygritte, they didn’t last much longer after last Christmas. When that ended, Jon really didn’t feel the need to stay up north anymore and his mom had encouraged him to go to school.

Now they were three months into their semester and Jon spent nearly every evening at her place. He claimed it was for the food, but he cooked half the time. Robb had come down to visit around Halloween and he had left with two souvenirs. Her best friend Talisa’s phone number and a black eye courtesy of Jon. She wasn’t sure what was said, but she had a nagging feeling it was something about her.

Lyanna knew of course that she and Jon spent most of their time together, she was there during their weekly family Facetimes. Her teasing the two of them was becoming more and more regular, calling them an old married couple. It hurt. Especially coming from Lyanna, because Jon’s mom knew how much Dany wished that really was the situation. Maybe it wasn’t popular to be married at eighteen, but Dany knew there’d never be anyone else. Jon was it for her. So, she’d stopped dating. It wasn’t that she didn’t get asked out, but she was done wasting her time being disappointed. She took some solace in the fact that Jon didn’t date either, or if he did, he didn’t tell her about it.

She sighed and went looking for familiar silver hair. She found her father speaking with Ned and Robert about something that must have been hilarious, judging by Robert’s enthusiasm. She walked up to her father. “Hey, dad.” She said with a smile.

“Hi princess.” He said, pulling her in for a hug. “I’m glad you made it. I was starting to worry.”

“Yeah, everything worked out once the plane took off.” She turned and politely greeted Ned and Robert. “I heard Catelyn’s working hard on her charity.” She said to Ned.

He nodded and smiled at her. “Yes, she’s really enjoying the work. She felt like it was necessary to build a women’s shelter in Winterfell for women escaping abuse. She felt terrible after Sansa called her out on her mistletoe behavior.” Dany cringed inwardly as she thought back to a few years ago when Catelyn had practically forced her daughter to kiss the creepy Joffrey Lannister.

“Yeah, well I never blamed Sansa for not wanting to kiss Joffrey.” Dany said.

“None of us do now.” Aerys said seriously. Joffrey Lannister had been arrested for rape earlier in the year and despite the considerable pull from the self-styled ‘richest family in Westeros’ he didn’t get away with it.

“Anyway, on to happier news, did you hear about Sansa and Margaery?” Ned said excitedly. She shook her head. “They’re dating. We’re so excited for them, Margaery is the sweetest young woman.” She smiled thinking back to a young Margaery Tyrell helping Myrcella read.

“That’s wonderful!” She said.

“And Ned and I might finally manage to join our families.” Robert’s voice boomed in. “Arya’s got Gendry wrapped around her little finger. He doesn’t go anywhere without her.”

“Geez, everyone is pairing off.” Dany said good naturedly.

“Yeah, we all thought you and Jon would be first!” Robert said boisterously.

“What?” She asked. It came out strangled and she could feel her eyes widen in panic. Just how many people knew she was in love with him?

“The way that boy looks at you, he’s been a goner for years.” Robert said, obviously missing the visual cues both Aerys and Ned were trying to give him by shaking their heads.

Dany swallowed hard. “Excuse me, I’m going to find Rhae and Elia.” Her dad let her go without argument and she practically ran across the room.

Sansa and Margaery were standing under the mistletoe during her search. “You guys know where you’re at right?” She asked. They both smiled and nodded.

“We figured you could use the break from it this year.” Margaery replied jokingly.

Dany laughed at that. “I appreciate it. By the way, Sansa, this place looks gorgeous, you did a great job!”

“Thanks!” Sansa said back excitedly. “I’m glad I got the chance and moved away from mom’s crazy theme for this year. She wanted to do snow globes!” Sansa’s nose wrinkled.

“And just what is wrong with snow globes?” Catelyn asked from behind her daughter. Sansa’s eyes widened as she turned to face her mother. Dany moved away quickly before she could get caught in the debate.

She found Rhaegar and Elia in the corner of the hall by the formal dining room, cooing over and feeding little Rhaenys. It had been a long road for the three of them. Elia ended up having to have an emergency c-section after her difficult pregnancy and both mother and daughter had to spend several weeks in the hospital. Dany had visited them religiously, just like she had her mother. She ended up being the third person to hold the baby when she finally got out of the incubator, right after the parents. She had decided then and there that she would be the best aunt in the world to baby Rhaenys. Elia looked up as she approached.

“Hey Dany, you finally made it!” She said with a smile.

“Yeah, it’s been a long few days.” Dany said tiredly. “How are things going over here?”

“We’re good. Catelyn relegated us to a corner when we told her we wouldn’t be putting Rhaenys in a nursery.” Rhaegar said, rolling his eyes. “Apparently the whole ‘charity’ mentality is sporadic.”

Dany rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Rhaegar, can I ask you something?”

“Of course. But if it’s about Viserys, I have no idea.” Rhaegar sighed. Viserys had disappeared earlier in the year and no one could find him. They almost thought he was dead, but then Rhae noticed that he was making regular withdrawals from his trust fund account. “My bet is that he found some cult to join in Asshai. He’ll be back when all his money dries up.”

Dany shook her head. “It’s about Jon. Well, me and Jon.” Rhaegar suddenly looked really uncomfortable. “Have you always thought we’d end up together? It’s just that’s what Robert said and I was wondering how far gone this conclusion was.”

“I guess, yeah. Most of us just thought it was a matter of time.” Rhaegar said shrugging. “You guys were inseparable as kids and we all just figured once you hit puberty it would just happen. I don’t know if it’s the timing or his lack of balls, but quite frankly we’re all a little surprised it hasn’t happened yet.” He paused for a long moment. “You know, mom used to tell me that you two were made for each other. That she knew all the way at the beginning that you’d end up together.”

Dany sank back in her seat. “She might have been wrong about that one.” She said sadly.

“I don’t think so.” Elia said confidently. Then she nodded her head toward the foyer. Standing next to the Christmas tree in their usual spot was Jon and he seemed to be looking for her. She stood up and made her way toward him, he saw her and waved her forward.

“We couldn’t get through another one of these parties without meeting here.” He said smiling.

“It would be a big break in tradition.” She smiled weakly back.

Jon took a deep breath. “Dany, I…”

“Jon, wait.” She interrupted. “I need to say something before I lose my nerve.” He looked frustrated but nodded at her to continue. She looked right into his eyes and took a deep breath for courage. “Jon Stark, I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember, and I want to be with you.” She stopped and just looked at him. His mouth had fallen open in shock.

“Daenerys Targaryen, I have been trying to romantically kiss you under the mistletoe since I was fourteen! You could’ve helped me out a long time ago.” He exclaimed.

“What do you mean, kiss me under the mistletoe?” She asked him confused.

He sighed. “When I told my mom that I liked you, she suggested that I kiss you under the mistletoe. She said not only was it romantic, but if you didn’t feel the same way, then I could just pass it off as a silly Christmas tradition.”

“But you and I have never gotten caught under the mistletoe together before.” Dany said. “I’ve been stuck there with your mom, and four of your cousins. I’ve kissed nearly every single Stark except for the one I actually wanted to!”

“Dany.” He said deadpanned. He just pointed up at the ceiling. She followed his finger until she saw a large sprig of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.

She looked at him sheepishly. “Has that been there every year?”

He nodded solemnly. She thought back to the years they had met at this very spot. When she was thirteen and was so sad about her mom and felt so ugly. Jon had been constantly looking up, probably hoping she’d look up too, but she’d just thought he didn’t want to look at her. The next year Jon had been waiting for her here, but she dragged him away to deal with Arya and the air horn. He had been so reluctant to leave. The next year was right after Lyanna announced her engagement and pregnancy. He had been so drunk, and she had just helped him to a room upstairs. Then there was Sansa’s coming out party as they referred to the Christmas Sansa had announced her sexual orientation to the whole upper society of Westeros. They had gotten distracted by all of the drama between Sansa, Catelyn, and Joffrey. And then there was last year, the worst one yet, when Jon had another woman on his arm. He had looked utterly panicked when Ygritte walked back, and now she understood because he didn’t want to get caught standing under the mistletoe with a girl that wasn’t his girlfriend.

“I’ve been trying to kiss you under this mistletoe for the last six years, and every year you get trapped under the other mistletoe instead. I asked Sansa and Margaery to stand guard over there, so I could finally do this.” Jon lifted her chin and softly pressed his lips to hers.

The kiss didn’t stay soft and sweet for long. Dany buried her fingers in his hair and drug him closer to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, brought their bodies together the rest of the way. He softly bit her lower lip and she gasped into his mouth. He took advantage of the opening and slid his tongue between her teeth. They slid and tangled their tongues together, lost in each other. It was the best kiss of her life.

They were so distracted that neither one noticed that the great hall had gone silent, and everyone was staring at them. Sansa and Margaery were smiling brightly. Theon was miming barfing actions. Ned patted Aerys on the shoulder. Robb reluctantly handed a wad of cash over to Rhaegar. Arya leaned back into Gendry, her eyes twinkling. Bran and Rickon just exchanged a look and shrugged. And Lyanna stood with her hand pressed to her mouth, tears in her eyes.

When they finally broke apart Dany beamed up at Jon. He smiled back and rested his forehead on hers. They both jumped when the great hall broke out into applause and shouts. They just shook their heads and laughed.

It had been the perfect first kiss with the love of her life. And it was the first of many Dany and Jon kisses under the mistletoe.


End file.
